Track-fastener.



J. W. STEPHENSON.

TRACK PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22, 1912.

1,085,880, Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

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JOHN W. STEPHENSON, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO T'I-IE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

TRACK-FASTENER.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN 1V. STEPHEN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, Lucas county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Track- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a rail showing the application of my improved fastener; Fig. 2 is an elevation of Fig. 1 showing the rail in section; Fig. 3 a plan view showing another position of the fastener; Fig. 4 is an elevation of Fig. 3 showing the rail in section; and Fig. 5 is a detail of the shim shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

My invention relates to track fasteners of the type shown in my Patent No. 1,010,971 dated December 5, 1911, and is especially de' signed to provide means for moving .the rails, without the necessity of moving the track fasteners, to compensate for wear on the heads of the rails.

My device is especially useful on curves on which the traflic is heavy and upon which excessive wear of the rails is caused by the wheel flanges, thus necessitating frequent moving of the rail in order to keep the requisite gage of the track. This necessity of frequently moving the rails entails a large amount of labor and results in the ties being spike killed that is, so riddled and split with the frequent spiking that their life is extremely short. With my device on the contrary, the labor cost is low and the life of the ties is greatly increased, since my fastener remains in its initial position and the movement and change of parts permits readjustment of the rail without disturbance to the fastener plate.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates the rail and 3 the track fastener which is adapted to be spiked or secured to the ordinary wooden tie. The fastener 3 has a jaw at which is adapted to engage one edge of the flange or base of the rail. At the opposite side of the rail the fastener 3 has a projection 5, which is undercut and inclined for wardly and longitudinally of the rail. This projection 5 and the side of the rail forms a longitudinal inclined guide-way 6 for the rail brace 7, which is adapted to grasp and support the rail between its base and head. The rail brace 7 has a slot 8 extending longitudinally therethrough and registering Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. July 22, 1912.

Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Serial No. 710,755.

wit-h the curved keyway 9 in the fastener 3. The tapered bendable key member 10 is adapted to be driven through the slot 8 and the keyway 9 thus locking the brace and fastener securely together, and preventing movement of either relative to the rail.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 5, I show a shim 11 which preferably has a lip 12 for gripping the top surface of the rail flange, and a head 13 for convenience in removing the shim when necessary. After removal of the shim the rail base engages the jaw 4:.

It is customary on railroads to use the rails until the inner faces of the rail head have become so worn that in order to'main tain the gage the rails must be moved. One rail together with its tie plates is then taken up and moved toward the other rail, and rail and tie plates respiked to the tie. This operation is repeated alternately on both rails until they are so worn that they can no longer be used and then the rails must be replaced and the tie plates respiked in initial position. As has been explained this frequent respiking renders the life of the ties comparatively short.

Applying my invention to the usual practlce on railroads, I employ my fastener, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, on both the left hand and the right hand rails. When the heads of the rails have become so worn by the flanges of the car wheels that there is necessitated a restablishment of the standard gage, I drive out the rail braces 7 and their locking keys 10 along one of the rails (for example, the left hand rail as shown in Fig. 1) and take out the shims 11 and again drive in the rail braces 7 and the keys 10. The longitudinally inclined guide-ways 6 cause the braces 7 to force the opposite flange of the rail against the jaw 4:, thus moving the rail toward the right hand rail, a distance equal to the width of the shims which have been removed, and restoring the proper gage. When further wear on the head of the rails has taken place, which requires the gage to be rectified a second time,

I remove the shims 11 from the fasteners on y can then be inserted into the fasteners on both sides of the track with shims and the same cycle is repeated.

It is obvious that my invention is of great utility, and results in a great saving of labor and materials, and at the same time provides a fastener which is of simple and yet eflicient construction.

Many changes may be made in the construction and application of my device with out departing from my invention, since "What I claim is:

1. In a track fastener, a base member, a rail engaging member adapted to be driven between one part of the base member and the rail, a bendable key member for locking the rail engaging member and the base member together, and removable means for adjusting the position of the rail relative to the base member.

2. In a track fastener, a base member adapted to be fastened to a tie, means for securing the rail to the base member, and ad justable means for moving the rail relative to the base member and comprising a removable shim and a wedge.

4. In railway track construction, basemembers for securing the rails to the ties, and means for moving the rails toward each other to compensate for wear on the rail heads to maintain the standard gage said means comprising a removable shim and a wedge.

5. In a track fastener, a fastener plate, means for securing the rail to the fastener plate comprised of a wedge and bendable locking means cooperating with a curved guideway, and a removable shim member adapted for insertion between the rail and a portion of said plate, whereby the rail may be adjusted transversely of said plate.

JOHN W. STEPHENSON.

itnesses LOREN B. WILSON, C. W. ERKERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). 0. 

